the Birds of the Lower Petchora. 119 



alight on trees, both singly and in flocks, and both on spruce- 

 firs, willows, and bare high larches. They perched freely, 

 and flew from tree to tree, alighting without the slightest 

 hesitation. 



Nothing can be more beautiful than the evolutions of a 

 flock of these handsome birds as they drift with a high wind 

 like actual '' snow-flakes," or struggle against it with flicker- 

 ing butterfly flight, uttering at the same time their musical 

 tinkling note. 



Alauda arvensis, L. 



We only met with two examples of the common Sky-Lark — 

 the first at Ust Zylma, on the 22nd May, and the other, a 

 single bird also, at Viski, near the head of the delta, on the 

 17th June. 



Otocorys alpestris (L.). 



The Shore-Lark was amongst the first of the earlier smaller 

 migrants to arrive. We saw and shot our first specimens on 

 the IGth May. A small party of seven or eight was haunting 

 the small spaces left bare by the melting of the snow by a 

 rapid sun-thaw, on an island opposite Ust Zylma. A day or 

 two later they were seen in larger flocks ; and they soon be- 

 came very plentiful around the town, and continued to be so 

 until about the 25 th May, when they rapidly dispersed to 

 their breeding-haunts, or continued their migration to the 

 north. 



We did not again see any until we arrived at Gorodok. 

 There we found a nest containing newly hatched young, upon 

 the sandy scrub-covered tundra near the town. This was on 

 the 18tli June. The Shore-Lark appears to be only very 

 locally distributed on the tundras which we visited. A sandy 

 tract of country to the north of Vassilkova, and the clay slopes 

 of the river-bank at Stanavoialachta and Dvoinik, were the 

 only localities where we saw them afterwards, and only at the 

 latter place in any numbers. Nowhere did we find them so 

 plentiful as we were led to expect we should by the immense 

 numbers which passed Ust Zylma in spring. We obtained 

 young able to fly on the 6th July. 



